Feb 8, 2011
CSS3 ::Selection Pseudo-Element
The ::selection pseudo-element is a small but exciting component of CSS3. Its function is to simply format user-selected text. While that’s not entirely significant, it is one additional consideration for the web-design perfectionist. It just completes a design for the OCD web designer, like me, even though it will often have little relevance to a common web user.
I use this on my website and even put it into a Tumblr theme I recently designed for Sea Shepherd Advocate. One of my favorite examples is the stark styling of the ::selection pseudo-element on Dribbble.com:
This is a less-than-important element in web design. But it does satisfy the compulsive web-designer’s need to strive for perfection.